The Motorist.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIII, Issue 775, 12 January 1905, Page 14

The Motorist.

(By

“ Petrol.”)

'Mr Bockaert left for Christchurch on Saturday last, taking with him the 15-h.p. Darracq sold to Mr Allen, of that city, also an 8-h.p. Darracq and an S-h.p. De Dion.

A full account of Dr. Mackenzie’s trip from Auckland to Napier in an Oldsmobile will appear in next week’s issue.

Mr Wilford, M.H.R. for Wellington, after inspecting all cars available in Auckland, purchased a .10-h.p. Oldsmobile tonneau, and after a few hours’ tuition started for Wellington 1 via Rotorua, Waixakei, and Napier. When last heat’d from (Monday) Palmerston North had been (reached without trouble, despite the rough weather, and the last report re-, ■ceived was “ All well.”

The Oldsmobile motor works have within the last three months increased their -daily turnout of cars from fifty to sixtyfive cars per working day. a record that more than quadruples that of any factory in the world as a regular thing. " • * ■» *

There is a runabout, in Auckland owned by an enthusiast which has run a distance- of over 11,000 miles for a total repair cost of 17s Gd.

The tendency of motor agents to endeavour to sell their own wares by ‘the running down of others is still so much in evidence that it needs comment. This is not business, and should not be indulged in by agents. This very fact was the cause’ of a loss of sale to several motor agents in Auckland recently.

At the meeting of the A.A.A., held on Thursday last, the subject of freight on motor cars was freely discussed. • The Auckland A.A.A. and the Christchurch A.A.A. are, in conjunction, taking, this matter up with the various steamship •companies, with, it is hoped, a good prospect of favourable results.

There is no doubt that if records of the various makes of cars are to be kept -on our record run, 1 viz., Rotorua to Auckland, there will have to be a handicap scheme arranged, fas the present arrangement of running 5-h.p. cars in competition with 24-h.p. cars is manifestly unfair.

Can any of our friends tell us why it is that only one make of car has so far been consistently driven by ladies ? We do not mean an isolated case, but one car is strongly in evidence for its proportion of ladydrivers. Is it want of nerve ?

There is considerable speculation as to / whether the mooted challenge of a v-h.p. car to run against a 10-h.p. car of another make will be taken up by the larger power car for a run by road to Wellington. * *

Mr H. Humphries, of Napier, with his two sons, and about 2501 b of luggage, successfully negotiated the journey from Napier to Auckland via Tarawera, •* Taupo and Rotorua, iin a 9£-h.p. Cadil- :' lac. The party left Napier on Monday morning, arriving at Taupo that evening, taking twelve hours. The tremendous

hills on this trip are the severest test for motorists. The next day the party made for Rotorua, staying about hours to see the sights at Wairakei. Half a day was spent in Rotorua, and the weather looked very threatening, and a start was made for Cambridge. Unfortunately very heavy rain fell almost immediately after leaving Rotorua 1 , and the roads became impassable. The engine responded bravely to all demands, but the driving wheel" would not grip the soft clay. Almost the whole afternoon was spent on the low gear, with ropes tied round the wheels. At 6.30, still raining heavily, the party were glad to make Tirau, and stay the night. Next morning, the roads being in a shocking condition, a start was made for Auckland. This was the worst part of the trip. At Ferguson’s Gully, and other; hills, fern and manuka had to be put under the driving wheels, and in many of the steep cuttings the car skidded so badly that a capsize seemed imminent. .Mr Humphries spent the night at Rangiriri and came on to Auckland next morning, arriving at 9,45. Beycnd one puncture, and a small mechanical breakage which was repaired on the road, the party met with no mishap. Mr Humphries states he has had his Cadillac twelve months. He has made two trips from Napier to Wanganui, one from Napier to Hawera, and the present journey from Napier to Auckland. He speaks highly of his machine which has never been once to the repair shop since he purchased it. All the attention it required has been effected bv the owner.

The Automobile Club of Bengal (India) intends holding a reliability run d iring this month between Bombay and Delhi, a distance of about 1000 miles. r l he run has received the patronage of 1 ord Kitchener, and great interest is being taken in it by the military and civil authorities. The Indian motorists have conditions to contend with very similar to those obtaining in Australia, notably dusty roads, and we learn that chaindriven cars are not in favour there on account of the damage caused by the dust. Judging from the prices ruling there, it appears that no duty is levied on cars imported into India, and in that direction the motorists possess a very decided advantage over their Australian brethren. It is said that the native princes are taking to motoring, and we may expect to hear later on of some line cars going to India.

The world’s mile flying start motor track record has again been reduced, the successful driver being the American champion, Barney Oldfield, on an 80-h.p. car. The new time is 52 l-ssec, as against 52 4-ssec by E. Kisler. Oldfield also covered twenty miles in 18min 15 2-ssec.

The character gained by the early examples of the motor ’bus for needing frequent repairs and failing on hills has been ' entirely changed by the performances of the improved vehicle now in service. Under the heading of “ A Welltried Motor ’Bus,” the “ Autocar ” instances the record of an 18-h.p. MilnerDaimler ’bus, carrying twenty passengers no less than 14,000 miles without a single breakdown, since it was put on the road five months ago. It has been running in public service work during that period, averaging seventy-five miles per day between Plymouth and Modbury, over the Devonshire hills, one of which has a gradient of one in five. Something like a

record can be claimed for the solid' rubber tyres fitted to these vehicles. The tyres still on the wheels of the motor ’bus are those originally fitted, and with the ’bus have not only covered the ' 14,000 miles, but are still in good running order. The engineer of the South Hams Motor Company,’ which runs the ’bus service, is pardonably proud of the success he has attained with this vehicle plying over so trying a route. This is another telling example of the reliability of the Milner-Daimler motor ’bus for public service work, and stamps it as the ideal vehicle for suburban passenger traffic.

It is estimated that close on 15,000 gallons of petrol will have to be provided for contestants along the SydneyMelbourne route for the Dunlop Reliability Contest in February. Ihe arrangements for this event are proceeding satisfactorily. Some twenty odd towns en route will be flag controlled, to ensure a reasonable speed through populous districts. There will be about eighty motorists taking part in the overland ride. The four stopping places on the route will be Goulburn (129 miles), Gundagai (121 miles), Albury (121 miles), and Ruroa (101 miles).

Two French motor engineers have been recently experimenting with a new fuel for motors, and as the fluid may be carried in a concentrated form in the shape of pellets ready for use the discovery may be of vast importance to Australian automobilists, who often travel through country places where naphtha or petrol is not to be obtained. A valuable point in connection with the new spirit is that it is not inflammable, as a lighted match may be thrown amongst a number of the pellets without exploding them. Recently in a trial with petrol and kerosene and the new spirit ’ the consumption per hour measured in pound was : —Petrol, 12.321 b, costing Is 2’d ; paraffin or kerosene, 12.11 b, costing 9d ; and the new fuel, 12.751 b, at 9d. As regards the merits or possibilities of the system for motor cycle use the advantages of being able to carry the fuel stored in solid bulk will appeal to many users of this class of machine, but as the discovery of the fuel has only just been made several trials during which the pellets may be tested will have to be undertaken so as to satisfy all motorists that the invention is likely to prove satisfactory under all conditions.

Tn answer to many inquiries the Dunlop Tyre Company desire to notify motorists who intend competing in the overland ride from Sydney to Melbourne next February that all cars must be nominated by members of recognised automobile clubs, the nominator to be aboard car during competition, but actual driving by nominator is not compulsory. This means that gentlemen who employ drivers will be able to take part in the big event next February. The field for the ear section of this contest promises to be considerably over thirty. Of this number over twenty will come from Victoria. The contingent from this State promises to make a bold bid for the Plue Riband, for if will comprise many of the finest cars and drivers in Australia. As a big entry is anticipated from New South Wales, besides several entrants from South Australia, and one from XX estern Australia, the competition will be a keen Inter-State one. Intending contestants who have not already received a book of rules and conditions, and a set

of maps of the route, cun do so by applying to the Dunlop Tyre Company, 108, Flinders-street, Melbourne. The Dunlop Tyre Company intend distributing gratis 50,000 sixteen-page booklet programmes (giving full particulars of the competition) along the route, so that the public will be better able to understand the lines upon which the Reliability Contest is being made.

When travelling at night plenty of lig-ht is, of course, a desirable thing-, but there can be too much light about a motor car. Acetylene gas, like electric light, makes very black shadows, and the sudden change from shadow to very bright light produces a temporary blindness. In the daytime objects gradually grow larger, but at night they seen to leap into vision all at once. Another point to be noted, pedestrians are liable to be dazzled by a great blaze of light, and to blunder into the path of a swiftlymoving car. Lamps should be carried at the sides, in order to show the width of the car, and a single headlight, throwing a narrow beam a long distance in front of the car. A ray of light illumines any surface or object on which it falls better than) a bright, diffused light, and does not distort or confuse the eyes of the driver. Two searchlights carried on the front of a car give the driver a false idea of the size and distance of obstacles or turns in the road, and also of the nature of its surface. While on the subject of lamps we may mention that the class of a lamp will not crack after it has beeni put out if the front is left slightly open.

A marvellous performance by a motor •cycle is recorded from France. In the recent French hill-climbing contest up the Gaillon mountain road a two-cylinder Pengeot motor cycle weighing only 1081 b covered a Hying kilometre (1084yds) at the astounding speed of V 5-- miles per hour. The fastest speed accomplished by powerful racing cars was at the rate of 77 miles per hour.

The proposed second speed trial at Blackpool has been postponed until next spring, and meantime the length of the seafr o nt is to be extended by 1000 yards. This will make a magnificent straight track of nearly two miles in length, which will be perfectly safe for the work of racing cars, which require some distance in which to get up top speed and to pull up. It is claimed that, with the extension, the Blackpool track will be the finest straight stretch in existence. The success of the next meeting is already assured by promises from the beat drivers of Europe to compete with their fastest cars. English makers intend making a great effort to secure new world’s records, and wrest the championship laurels from France.

It has been said that a bishop would cheat an archdeacon about a horse, and the introduction of motors was expected to raise public morality in this respect (humorously remarks “ Land and Water.”) It has not. The man of hitherto blameless life buys an automobile and instantly becomes a perjurer with homicidal tendencies. He runs over a child and swears, firstly, that the infant hurled itself against the car (which cannot be driven faster than ten miles an hour) ;

secondly, that he got down and attended to its self-inflicted wounds (giving the parents £5) ; and, thirdly, that he was not there at all, being in Central Scotland at the time, and can prove it. The policeman, on the other hand, deposes that the car was going thirty miles an hour on the wrong side of the road, and the motorist —a suspicious character, known to have associated with politicians, journalists, and others—after deliberately slaughtering the child, set upon him .(the officer), and then made off. If he had been in Central Scotland, how could he have inflicted the bruises on the officer’s skin (produced) Defendant, recalled, puts forward the explanation that the constable inflicted them upon himself, and that the case one of police persecution, conspiracy, mistaken iden-

tity, etc., and that rhe most cherished traditions of the British people.--and ?o on. Had he not been a motorist, this man would have honestly owned up at once, on his word of honour, that he was a scoundrel.